Woollen articles made of pure (100%) wool fibres or blended with natural or synthetic fibres like polyester, viscose rayon, cotton, etc. or both in different proportion such as apparel, carpet, durries, felt etc. and fur-feather lined garments are highly susceptible to insect damage, and are frequently damaged or destroyed by various insect species of wool pests in commercial, industrial and domestic stores and also during their use and transport. Sometimes this damage result into colossal loss to the stored woollen items. Unprotected keratinous items such as sikhar trophies, animal skins, upholstered furniture and stuffed animal museum specimens are also damaged by these wool pests.
The wool pests are of two types, carpet beetles and clothes moths which commonly found damaging woollen and fur and feathers items. The carpet beetle species are Anthrenus flavipes, Anthrenus verbasci, Anthrenus coloratus, Anthrenus oceanicus, Attagenus fasciatus, Attagemis cyphonoides, Attagemis lobatus, Attagemis indicus and Attagenus birmanicus. The clothes moths species are Tinea transhtcens, Tinea pellionella, Tinea dubiella and Tineola bisselliella. These pests cause maximum damage during their larval stage to the woollen, fur-feather lined items and other keratinous items in stores or when these items are left unattended for longer period and also during their use and transport.
Conventionally naphthalene or Paradichlorobenzene is known in the art to be used to protect woollen and fur-feather lined articles from insect damage during their storage. But these above compounds are ineffective against clothes moths and thus unable to provide protection to the woollen items as established by Abbott & Billings of USA in 1935 and published their work in the Journal of Economic Entomology on page 493-495 as entitled “Further work showing that Paradichlorobenzene, Naphthalene and cedar oils are ineffective as repellents against clothes moth”. The ineffectiveness of the naphthalene balls in protection of woollen articles from insect pests is also confirmed by the present inventors.
Further disadvantage of naphthalene balls being in solid forms have to be kept as such with a layer or two of the garment thereby providing limited protection through its vapours. Also, these balls cause discolouring of the woollen items when-placed directly on the woollen item for long period. These balls provide no protection to the woollen items, fur and feather lined garments and other keratinous items from insect pests when kept in open, as balls require airtight container. Thus, there is a need to develop new antibacterial drugs with novel mechanism of action.
Application No. 2313/CHENP/2007 discloses a pharmaceutical formulation for delivery in aerosol or spray form, comprising a liquefied propellant gas, a solid particulate pharmaceutically active agent and a dispersing agent, wherein the dispersing agent is fused to the surface of particles of the pharmaceutically active agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,872 discloses an insecticidal and/or acaricidal and/or nematicidal composition having a rapid efficacy and residual activity which comprises a mixture of a poorly water-soluble organophosphorus insecticide and/or acaricide and/or nematicide and/or a poorly water-soluble carbamate insecticide and/or acaricide which have been microencapsulated in water-insoluble polymer coatings with a dispersing agent used in forming a microcapsule part, with a poorly water-soluble pyrethroid insecticide and/or acaricide emulsified or suspended in water with the above-mentioned dispersing agent used in forming a flowable part.
US 2008/0090780 A1 discloses a storage stable, efficacious pesticide formulation is provided that is dilutable by the user and contains azadirachtin (AZA) and a pyrethrin or pyrethroid (PYR), and optionally an aprotic solvent and non-ionic, substantially water-free emulsifier. A sufficient amount of the PYR is provided to complex with the AZA A on opposite sides of the molecular structure thereof, thereby preventing rearrangement of the AZA A molecule in the presence of moisture that would result in hydrolysis and decomposition of AZA A. The AZA-PYR combination is sufficiently chemically stable such that less than 10% of the AZA A is decomposed when the formulation is subjected to an accelerated aging test for 30 days at 40° C. in a sealed container. The molar ratio of PYR to AZA A is preferably within the range of 0.5/1-10.5/1, more preferably within the range of 1.5/1-7/1, and most preferably with the range of 3/1-6/1. A solvent, when provided, should be in the range of about 70% to about 90% by weight based on the weight of the formulation, and the emulsifier should be within the range of about 0% to about 20%.
WO 1997/00610 discloses an insect-attracting insecticidal aerosol spray composition containing an insect-attracting effective amount of 1 to 10% w/w of lauric acid, d-limonene, orange oil or mixtures thereof. The composition provides a long lasting barrier protection. It maintains the attractancy for a period of 13 weeks or more.
A method of treating carpet and other textile products comprising animal fibres or a mix of synthetic fibres and animal fibres is disclosed in WO/1997/023682. The method includes applying a formulation to carpet or other textile products. The formulation comprises compounds effective against the larvae of a range of Coleopteran species and a chemical which is effective against the larvae of a range of Lepidopteran species. The fluorosurfactant compound can offer only partial control of the larvae of a range of Lepidopteran species. The formulation can be added to the carpet, yarn, loose fibre or other textiles during raw-wool scouring, dyeing, tapescouring, chemsetting or continuous carpet treatment.
Microcapsule for smart textile materials, containing an active product and with reactive groups, with the objective of chemically binding the microcapsules to the fibres is disclosed in WO 2006/117702. The microcapsules contain active products such as PCM (phase change materials), or can be of controlled release of products such as fragrances, essential oils, antibacterial and others with the objective to add specific functional properties to the textile materials. They can be applied by padding and spraying followed by thermo fixation. In case of products such as knitwear the application process can also be by exhaustion process, given that the microcapsules acquire affinity towards the fibres and react with the fibres during the process. The chemical bond of the controlled release microcapsules with the fibres confers them a higher resistance to washing than the existing microcapsules glued to the fabric by printing or padding.
WO 2006/107905 discloses pesticide concentrates are provided containing an emulsifier that is an EPA list 4 inert and is a polyglycerol fatty acid ester, a sorbitan fatty acid ester or a combination thereof, a pesticide and a solvent that is either a EPA list 3 inert of acetyl ester, EPA list 4 inert of a methyl fatty ester, an acetyltributyl citrate, white mineral oil or a combination thereof. The pesticide can be a water-insoluble synthetic pyrethroid, natural pyrethrum, channel blocking insecticide, acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, oxadiazine, organophosphate, neonicotinoid insecticide, thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, acetamiprid, thiacloprid, clothianidin, nitenpyran, insect growth regulator, juvenile hormone mimic, fermentation insecticide, plant oil insecticide, acaracide, miticide, fungicide, herbicide and combinations thereof. The pesticide concentrate is diluted with a hydrocarbon solvent, a white mineral oil or a combination thereof and mixed with water. A corrosion inhibitor is added to form a stable water-in-oil emulsion in conjunction with a propellant to make a ready-to-use aerosol for home, garden and public health pest control.
Thus, there is a need to develop a new insecticidal composition for protection of woollen articles made of pure (100%) wool fibres or blended with natural or synthetic fibres like polyester, viscose rayon, cotton, etc. or both in different proportion such as apparel, carpet, durries, felt etc. and fur-feather lined garments that are highly susceptible to insect damage, and are frequently damaged or destroyed by various insect species of wool pests in commercial, industrial and domestic stores and also during their use and transport.